1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image output apparatus and, more particularly, to a job management technique executed by the image output apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
There has conventionally been proposed a network document management system aimed at preventing information leakage. This system saves image data and log information in a document management server in correspondence with a job such as copy, print, scan, or FAX executed by, for example, a digital multi-function peripheral. The document management server can be searched and browsed by a document management client. As shown in FIG. 14, a document management client 1400, document management server 1401, and digital multi-function peripheral 1406 are connected to each other via a network 1407.
The document management client 1400 is a client in a network document management system, and searches for and browses a document managed by the document management server 1401.
The document management server 1401 comprises an attribute management server unit 1402, attribute database file 1403, volume server unit 1404, and volume file 1405. The attribute management server unit 1402 manages image data which is stored in the volume file 1405 (to be described later) and corresponds to each job. The attribute management server unit 1402 manages the inclusion relationship of a folder, document, and page, and their attributes using RDBMS (Relational DataBase Management System). For example, the attribute management server unit 1402 stores a folder attribute, document attribute, page attribute, job log information, and the like in the attribute database file 1403. The volume server unit 1404 is a server for managing actual image data made to correspond to each page by the attribute management server unit 1402. The volume server unit 1404 stores image data in the volume file 1405.
The digital multi-function peripheral 1406 is an image output apparatus having a plurality of functions such as copy, scan, print, and FAX. Upon executing a job to input an image (e.g., copy, print, or scan; to be referred to as an input job hereinafter), the digital multi-function peripheral 1406 generates log image data together with log information of the job, and transmits it to the document management server 1401. Upon executing a job to output an image generated by an input job (e.g., printing or FAX transmission of a scanned document; to be referred to as an output job hereinafter), the digital multi-function peripheral 1406 does not generate log image data of the job. Instead, the digital multi-function peripheral 1406 generates log information containing the job document ID of log image data of a corresponding input job, and transfers it to the document management server. This can decrease the capacity of the storage area of the volume file 1405 and reduce the data transfer load on the network 1407.
For example, job log information contains the following pieces of information:
Device information: a device name, serial number, and the like
User information: a user name, department ID, and the like
Job information: a job document ID, log image flag, job name, start/end date & time, the number of pages, the number of copies, job result, and the like
The job document ID is a unique value assigned to log image data of an input job. The log image flag represents whether log image data exists. Log image data of a job may be image data generated by an input job, or may be converted into a predetermined resolution.
For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-118243 discloses a technique of creating a print log by a print server based on print data and user information transmitted from a client, and creating browsing data for use in search, browse, and reprint instructions from an administrator. Simultaneously when transmitting print data to the printer server, the client transmits key information which allows the administrator to uniquely specify a user in subsequent browsing and searching.
However, the above-mentioned management technique suffers the following problems. That is, the maximum number of documents which can be saved in one data source of the document management server is limited, so data sources of the document management server must be periodically backed up and used while switching them. According to this management technique, however, log information and log image data are registered in the management server for an input job, but no log image data is registered for an output job. When log information of an output job is transferred after switching the data source of the document management server, log image data corresponding to the job document ID of the log information does not exist. In other words, no consistency can be maintained between log image data of an input job and the job document ID of log information of an output job.
When deleting a data source whose retention period has expired, log image data indicated by the job document ID of log information of an output job saved in another data source may also be deleted. If a problem such as information leakage occurs in a case of saving log information and log image files in a plurality of data sources, all the data sources must be searched, complicating the operation.